In the Dark
by more-than-words
Summary: In which Dimitri causes a small incident, Harry trips over some furniture and Ruth finally sees the light... in the dark. Mid-S9 fluff and nonsense.
1. Chapter 1

**I have reached the 'sod it' stage in the post-10.6 grieving process, which naturally means (now immensely AU) fluff happens. I wasn't really sure what to make of **_**that**_** ending – I thought the performances and direction were wonderful, but to me it felt as though the writing was a little bit off. It just seemed somewhat disjointed and a bit like 'oh, we've finished the plot. But it's the last episode. We must kill someone. Let's kill Ruth. That'll be sad and fill up the last ten minutes.' And yeah, it was sad (and I cried quite a lot), but… I dunno. It felt a bit separate and just… not entirely right, in my view. I guess, though, that this is why we have fanfiction. That said, I thought most of the rest of the series – including the final episode - was amazing (Elena's hair was particularly marvellous and should probably win some sort of Outstanding Contribution award).**

**Anyway, I shall shut up now. Not sure if people are after fluff right now, but it was massively fun to write! Set somewhere mid-S9. Utterly indulgent and a little bit saucy. Probably nonsense but I hope you enjoy :)**

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><p>Ruth blinked and the lights went out.<p>

"Was that planned?" she asked the darkness, knowing Harry was seated somewhere on the other side of the large hotel conference room they were currently working in.

There was a shuffling noise from his direction. "No."

"So you didn't accidentally…?"

There was silence for a moment. "No. And you didn't..?"

"Well, unless the electricity is controlled by blinking..."

"Right." Harry's chair scraped backwards and Ruth heard him scrabbling about. "The computers have gone off," he said.

She nodded and then realised he couldn't see her. It seemed that their 'sound-proofed, fire-proofed, secured' control centre was also thoroughly light-proofed. It was pitch black and windowless. Ruth turned to where she knew the door to be. "Can't see any light from the hallway, either."

"Shit." Harry sighed. A light thunk came from his direction and Ruth imagined him leaning his fists on the table, head hanging forwards and various strategies forming in his mind.

Then his phone rang, casting a tiny square of light in the otherwise dark room. Ruth watched the small illuminated device move as Harry picked it up and answered it.

"Dimitri," he said.

In the quiet of the room, Dimitri's muffled reply could be heard from Ruth's desk. _"Harry. Have the lights gone off where you are?"_

"Yes. I hope you're calling with good news about our unanticipated situation. No terrorists on the loose at the Ramada, are there?"

"_No. No terrorists. Just…"_

"What?"

"_Okay, it's my fault. I tripped a switch when I was installing the surveillance measures and it's got a little bit… confusing. Are you in the control centre?"_

"Yes."

Ruth smirked at the impatience in Harry's voice, suddenly glad of the dark to hide behind. She imagined his jaw grating as he tried not to lose his temper over the phone.

"_Right. Good. Ruth with you?"_

"Yes."

"_Good. Stay there while I fix the thing. Don't leave the room until I call back or else you'll trigger the alarm in the corridor and blow the whole thing."_

"_We'll_ blow the whole thing?"

Dimitri had the sense to sound contrite. _"Okay. Yeah. It's my fault. Sorry. But we're isolating that area to make sure there's been no foul play that might've caused the trip. Basically… don't move until the lights come back on."_

"How long until our re-enlightenment?"

"_Fifteen, twenty?"_

Harry sighed heavily. "Right."

There was a beep as he hung up the phone. Ruth tracked its movements as he returned it to the desk before the screen went dark once more.

"Dimitri's fixing the _thing_," Harry said, sounding sullen and as though a glass of something strong wouldn't go amiss, his mood clearly grim.

Ruth shifted on her chair and wondered in the back of her mind whether tripping the alarm in the corridor would be the worst thing in the world.

* * *

><p>They sat in silence for several minutes. Ruth took the opportunity to close her eyes, tired after the long day on the Grid followed by decamping to the hotel to prepare for tomorrow's summit – a day sure to be even longer now that things had gone ever so slightly arse-over-tit.<p>

She wondered if she should say something to Harry, but then decided an awkward conversation in the dark where there were even fewer distractions than normal was not something she was currently up to. They hadn't spent much time alone together since he proposed to her rather badly at a funeral and she turned him down, also fairly badly. She wasn't entirely sure how to handle it anymore without making their situation even worse.

But she still couldn't help the slight sense of anticipation that was building in her, an odd sort of heightened awareness as they sat in the dark, on opposite sides of the room. She was just… very_ aware_ that Harry was sat not too far away from her, with nothing to do for the foreseeable future. She could hear him breathing, and it reminded her of all the times she'd wondered what it would be like to hear him breathe in the dark.

In a completely different situation, of course.

Ruth was aware her thoughts were wandering, but she didn't really have the will or the desire to bring them back into line. She knew she should be trying to stay sharp, ready for when Dimitri fixed the glitch and they had to get back down to work, but the opportunity to let her mind drift and dwell on things she didn't usually let herself indulge in was certainly very welcome.

A dry cough and the sound of a scraping chair from Harry's side of the room interrupted her. "Was the water cooler over by you?" he asked, voice a little husky.

She realised that it was quite warm in the room, and the combination of it and the darkness dulled her reactions slightly. "Um, yes."

Ruth listened as Harry stood up and started across the floor, only to bang into a table on the way. "Ouch."

"You okay?"

He grunted in response and the shuffling noise started up again, sounding louder than it should in the otherwise perfectly silent room. "Where are you?" he asked after a moment.

"Here. Not that that helps, particularly. Sorry." She stood up, not really knowing why. "You must be close now."

Harry tripped over a chair a few feet away and then stumbled right into her. He grabbed onto her as he staggered slightly, accidentally pushing her into the table and making them both swear in response. "So it would seem," he answered, still holding onto her hips, his fingers flexing in the material of her skirt.

She wondered if she should disentangle herself from him – _probably_ – but really, it had been so long since she'd been this close to anyone (him, specifically), that Ruth was finding it hard to summon the willpower to move. She'd forgotten just how wonderful a single touch could be, however accidental it was. She stayed still, letting him call the shots for now.

"Water," he said, sounding rather reluctant to move away.

Ruth shut her eyes against the disappointment, as though it would make a difference in the dark. "Should be behind you," she stuttered out.

Harry took rather a long time letting go of her, his hand lingering on her waist before he finally located the water cooler and the sound of air bubbles glugging and pouring water filled the room.

Leaning against the table, Ruth shifted slightly and thought her clothes felt a little warmer where he'd touched her. She found herself wanting him to touch her again, craving the lingering heat and sure, steady pressure against her. _Ridiculous,_ she told herself. _You can't turn the man down and then get all moody over him_. Oh God, though. She could hear him swallowing as he drank. Something in her stomach flipped as she imagined the cool water sliding down his throat and she felt irrationally jealous.

The crumpling of the plastic cup as Harry finished his drink broke into her thoughts. "Do you want a drink?" he asked her, his voice taking on the low burr she loved so much, the one that always made her have to suppress a shiver lest she give herself away.

Truth be told, she would like a drink, but she couldn't guarantee she'd be able to drink it without spilling it everywhere. What had Dimitri said on the phone? Fifteen or twenty minutes? She could wait.

"Ruth?" Harry prompted her.

"Um, no. Thank you. I'm… I'm fine."

They lapsed into quiet once more, with only the sound of breathing and the slight rustle of clothes to break the silence. Ruth toyed with the idea of reaching out to him; the oppressive dark was making her crave something solid and she couldn't think of anything better than his arms around her. She didn't think he'd deny her comfort if she asked.

Except it wouldn't just be comfort, would it?

Her eyes had finally adjusted to the lack of light and she could just about make out the shape of Harry in the gloom. She thought he was looking in her direction, but she couldn't be entirely sure. She couldn't even make out her own fingers when she held her hand in front of her face.

"Is there a chair around here?" Harry said, sounding as though he was talking to himself.

He took a step forward and Ruth could just about see him reaching out, clearly uncertain where he was going. She shut her eyes to block him out, pushing down the temptation to lift one hand and pull him to her.

She told herself to think about the operation they were currently working on, the delegates they were supposed to be protecting and the systems that needed to be set up tonight before everyone arrived first thing in the morning. She thought about how the lights could come back on at any moment. How long had it even been now?

Then Harry took another step forward and his chest brushed against hers as she stood against the desk. His breath hitched. So did hers.

"Sorry," he said, not sounding sorry at all.

She sucked in a shaky breath. "S'okay."

"I was looking for a chair." Harry pulled in a breath and his chest expanded, bringing them into closer contact for a moment before he exhaled a shaky stream of air.

Ruth felt it on her face. Her fists clenched at her sides. She tried not to think the thoughts that threatened to crowd out everything else from her mind.

"Ruth," he whispered, a slight question in his tone.

She shifted against him but didn't move away. It would have been so easy to. It just wasn't an option.

Tentative hands found her hips and pulled her a half-step towards him, away from the table. Without its support behind her, Ruth felt slightly lost. She kept her eyes closed and focused on the feel of the hands moving cautiously up her body, seeking something. Harry skimmed her waist and her rib cage and then tactically moved to her arms, continuing over her shoulders and up her neck. The little moan that escaped her throat was entirely involuntary but, given the fact he rewarded her by gently sliding one leg alongside hers, also entirely welcome.

Finally, he found her face and suddenly the darkness surrounding them no longer mattered. His thumbs stroked her cheeks and she reciprocated by sliding her hands up his chest and around his neck. By unspoken agreement, their mouths met, hot and damp and eager to explore.

Ruth pushed herself closer to Harry and carefully pulled his bottom lip between both of hers, sucking for a long moment before releasing it and then kissing him all over again, drinking him in and completely disregarding any remaining rational thought that might have kept her away from him.

He didn't seem to mind, moving one hand down her back to band tightly around her waist as he coaxed her mouth open and slid his tongue against hers for the first time. They both jolted at the contact and then lost themselves again, hands growing ever bolder.

There was a moment when Harry stepped backwards and they stumbled together, but somehow their unwillingness to part kept them upright, and Ruth found herself with her back against the wall and Harry's chest and hips pressing insistently against hers. She could feel his response to her and felt an answering pull deep inside her.

"Harry," she gasped against his mouth, a slight seed of worry starting to enter her mind.

"Mm." He was too busy attaching his lips to her neck to answer properly.

"The lights." She ran one hand through his hair and busied the other with sliding under his shirt and up the skin of his back, tempted to give up caring about the practicalities completely. "How long have we got?"

Harry pulled away from her slightly and laid his forehead against hers. "Not long enough," he answered.

She sighed and stilled, wanting to feel him against her for a short while longer before they inevitably had to revert back to professionalism.

A hand cupped her breast deliberately and then Harry said, "We'll continue this later."

It was a statement.

"Okay." She was slightly surprised she didn't even hesitate, instead pressing into his touch and marvelling at how quickly change could happen once she had stopped denying it – denying _them_.

Harry's phone rang once more, the screen lighting up on the other side of the room; their cue to sort themselves out, clearly. With one final, brief kiss, he moved away from her and stumbled back over to the phone, knocking into another chair on the way.

Ruth stayed standing by the wall, surreptitiously adjusting her clothes and trying to calm her breathing.

By the time the lights flickered back on two minutes later, they were both the very image of professionalism, ready to get down to business and do the job they were paid for.

_Just as well thoughts are hidden on the inside._

"All right?" Harry said as they settled back down to the task in hand, a knowing glint in his eye and anticipation written all over his face.

She was fairly certain her answer would be just as evident in her expression but, just to be sure, she nodded and said, pointedly, "Just looking forward to going home."

The smile he gave her in return was enough to power her through the rest of the night.

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><p><strong>Err…yeah. Not wild about the ending but it had to stop somewhere!<strong>

**Thanks for reading :) **


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all so much for the lovely reviews on the last chapter :)**

**Well, this was meant to be a one-shot but a few people expressed an interest in another bit and I'll do pretty much anything in the name of fluff, so… here's some more mostly-plotless fluff. Hope you like.**

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><p>A little after ten in the evening, activity started to wind down for the day.<p>

Standing in the hotel conference room that was serving as their control centre, Harry listened as Dimitri explained exactly what had gone wrong earlier in the operation.

Well. He was mostly listening. Admittedly, part of his attention was given over to watching Ruth as she studiously avoided his gaze and stared at the screen of her computer, apparently intent on whatever information was displayed there even though he knew full well she'd finished her work for the day. She was definitely aware of him, though. He could see the light blush creeping up her chest and throat every time he shifted and turned his gaze on her.

He wondered if she was as consumed by thoughts of their earlier – for want of a better word – _tryst_ as he was. The memory of pressing against her in the dark and the thoughts of what might be to come later threatened to distract him entirely from Dimitri's monologue.

"… so it turned out that the switch was the wrong size," Dimitri said, a little sheepishly. He brandished what Harry assumed to be said switch. "Which is why it tripped when I, well… put it in upside down."

Ah, yes. In all the sweet, joyous excitement of their loss of electricity, Harry had almost forgotten what had caused it in the first place. He thought briefly about yelling or otherwise making it clear that such cock-ups would not be tolerated but, he supposed, he actually owed his young officer a favour. Not that he'd admit that, of course. But not yelling at Dimitri for his clumsiness seemed to be a fairly good trade off.

It would certainly get him out of the room and out of the way faster.

"Right. Good. Anything else you need to tell me?"

On the other side of the room, Ruth stood up and leant over the computer, stretching behind it to fiddle with a wire that must have come loose. Her blouse gaped slightly at the top. Harry's gaze went straight to it, and he was only vaguely aware of Dimitri smiling in amusement at his response.

"Night crew's already here," Dimitri told him, wisely choosing not to comment on his boss's distraction. "Main security team's arriving at eight tomorrow morning. Then the delegates start arriving at half nine. Summit's scheduled to start at ten, but knowing diplomats it'll probably be more like half past."

Ruth sat down, disappearing back behind the computer, and Harry was able to focus on Dimitri once more. "It sounds like you have it all in hand."

"Er, yeah."

"Well, then. Good work, Mr Levendis. See you tomorrow."

Dimitri stood there for a moment, looking at Harry expectantly as though waiting for the traditional post-error bollocking. Then he seemed to come to his senses and gave a mock salute. He winked at Harry in an _I know what's going on_ sort of way, turned and headed towards the door. "Night Ruth," he said as he passed her desk.

Harry could've sworn he'd winked at her as well. He made a mental note to add him back on the shit list.

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><p>Dimitri bumped into Beth in the corridor as he shut the conference room door behind him. "Home time, Bailey."<p>

"Oh, finally." She fell into step with him and they started to walk to the hotel lobby.

He checked to make sure no one else was in ear shot and then nudged her shoulder. "By the way, our suspicions about Harry and Ruth?"

"Yeah?"

"As good as confirmed."

"Bloody knew it."

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><p>"Ruth."<p>

Harry's voice cut through Ruth's daze and she snapped to attention, looking up from her computer screen to find him on the other side of the table, watching her. "Harry."

He shifted on the spot – a little nervously, she thought. She was perversely glad that he was nervous. It made her feel a bit better about the butterflies currently getting rather busy in her stomach.

"Are you finished?" he asked, although his expression let her know that he knew she wasn't really working.

Keeping up the pretence nonetheless, she nodded and powered down the computer, feeling his eyes on her. She wondered if she should say something, make some reference to what had happened between them earlier to let him know she hadn't forgotten. Then again, the fact she couldn't stop thinking about it was probably all too obvious. She'd spent the past hour or so alternating between blushing furiously, drifting off into thoughts of where things might have gone had the lights not come back on, and attempting to hide behind the computer to hide the evidence of the first two activities.

Ruth stood up and started collecting together her belongings, still at a loss as to what she could say to Harry. Maybe she should just forget the whole thing. That would be the normal course of action, after all. It was how their relationship worked. Get close, move away, gradually get closer again, move further away. She didn't think Harry would be surprised if she went back to the tried and tested method of dealing with things.

But that would be monumentally unfair on him. On both of them, really, but given that he had recently proposed to her, to then shove him away again after they had come together by mutual agreement would be bordering on cruel.

And, she admitted to herself, it wasn't what she wanted to do.

Decision made, she abandoned the folders she had been attempting to put into a vaguely neat pile and stepped around to the other side of the desk. Discreetly, knowing that there were cameras in the room, she found his hand as it hung limply by his side, and held it, hoping he'd grasp her intent. "Are you ready to go?" Her pulse was thundering.

After only a moment's hesitation, his fingers wrapped around hers in return. "Yes."

She smiled, musing silently on how odd it felt; she was far too used to being serious. Then she made to move away, intending to collect up her bag and coat so they could go – to Harry's house, she assumed, since she didn't fancy taking him back to her flat, where Beth would probably be in the middle of her nightly ritual of destroying the kitchen while trying to cook.

Harry stopped her with a squeeze of her hand. His face was serious, and he looked like he was struggling with something. "I want you to know," he finally said, a blush rising on his face, "that this isn't something we can just forget about in the morning."

Oh gosh, did he really think that's what she'd want? "I know."

He looked relieved. Then he looked slightly bashful. "It's not something we necessarily have to rush into, either. I didn't mean to imply…"

Temporarily forgetting about the cameras, she cut him off with a brief kiss. "I know that, too."

-o-

Twenty five minutes later, Ruth found herself standing behind Harry on his front step while he fumbled with his keys. The car ride to his house had been surprisingly free from awkwardness, both of them content to sit quietly in the warm car while Harry drove them through the darkened streets.

They hadn't spoken about which of their houses they were going to go to – in fact, they hadn't even verbally acknowledged they were both going to the same place. They had simply left the hotel together and ended up in Harry's car as though it was the most natural thing in the world.

Admittedly, Harry was taking so long to sort out his keys that things _were_ starting to get a tiny bit awkward, but Ruth was still impressed they were managing so well. In the spirit of continuing to manage well, she laid one hand on his back, feeling the soft fabric of his coat and the layers of clothing beneath.

"That's not going to help me get the door open faster," he said.

She could feel the vibrations against her hand as he spoke. She thought about moving away and giving him some space, but a sudden burst of boldness decided to make itself known. Instead, she stepped into him and stood at his side, hand still resting against his shoulder blade. She was close enough that when she looked at him, she could actually see his pupils widen in response. "Need a hand?"

It was a genuine question, but the underlying innuendo was evident. "Christ, Ruth."

Harry pulled her into him and Ruth found herself with her back against his front door and his lips pressing insistently against hers. She let herself get lost in what could only be described as a spectacularly good snog for a while, before a cool breeze started to blow and the fact they were still outside became somewhat evident. Pushing Harry back slightly, Ruth tried to focus. "Harry, the keys."

Clearly knowing that some more rather excellent kisses were at stake, Harry snapped himself into action, pulling his keys out of his pocket even as he fixed her with a lusty gaze that made her stomach do a little somersault.

Wow. She didn't remember that happening for a _very_ long time.

Then the door opened and Harry's hands found her hips. He walked her backwards into his house, teasing her lips with his and only pulling away slightly to kick the door shut behind them. He wrapped his arms tight around her and she reciprocated with one hand on the back of his head and one on the small of his back. Harry groaned, and the abandoned nature of it made her gasp.

"God, you feel good," he mumbled against her mouth.

She thought about answering, telling him that she felt the same about him, but kissing him was much more fun. She tugged his bottom lip between both of hers and sucked on it gently, making his hands fist in her clothes.

Abruptly, he pulled away from her and swore. "Bugger."

Bereft at the sudden unexpected loss of him, Ruth wrapped her arms around herself, wondering if she'd accidently bitten him or otherwise unintentionally done something foolish – or, almost unthinkably, if he'd suddenly changed his mind. The lights were off in the house and so she couldn't tell by looking at him. "What?" she asked, a little warily.

Harry was stumbling around on the other side of the hallway, fumbling along the wall. "Alarm," he said. "It'll go off in a minute. It alerts the police. Shit. Sorry, just… Yes!"

Alarm clearly found, Ruth watched as Harry punched in the code to disable it. She could just about make out his face in the dark hall. "All okay?"

His footsteps sounded very loud as he made his way back over to her. "Yes, thank you." His hands skimmed her arms lightly.

She shivered. He repeated the action and then slid his hands to her waist, smoothing them over the fabric of her coat. Ruth had forgotten she was wearing it. She stood stock still as Harry found the buttons and undid them slowly, working his way up from the bottom and letting his knuckles brush teasingly against her breastbone. Then he slid the coat down her arms and pulled it away, leaning into her so he could reach around and hang it over the bannister. Struck somewhat dumb by what was, in theory, a relatively innocent act, she watched as he took off his own coat and then placed it next to hers before moving his hands back to her waist.

"We seem to be getting a thing for the dark," he said.

"Mm." Words suddenly seemed like a bit too much effort.

"Do you want the lights on?"

Ruth shook her head. "No." It was easier to be confident in the dark.

Harry increased the pressure at her waist and the warm, steady weight of his hands against her made her arch towards him. Her hands moved to his arms as her eyes slipped shut. His head found its way alongside hers, his breath disturbing strands of her hair. Ruth was pleased to note his breathing was just as shaky as hers, especially when she turned her face into his neck and placed light kisses along the flesh of his throat.

_This _was what she had said no to when she said she couldn't marry him. Fool.

How times change.

Cool air found her skin as Harry fumbled with her blouse, raising the fabric slightly so his hands could touch her skin, firm and sure and achingly tender. His thumbs skimmed the bottom of her rib cage, raising goosebumps and quickening her breath. Ruth kissed the spot just under his ear and smiled when she felt his answering shiver.

"Ruth."

His breath, coming heavily, was loud in her ear. "Yes."

A pause, punctuated by his lips sliding across her jaw. "I want to take you upstairs."

She couldn't remember ever wanting something more. "Yes, please."

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><p>Later – after – Ruth lay in Harry's bed, content and supremely satisfied. The man himself was lying next to her, his arm tight around her shoulders.<p>

"That was…" she started, before realising there was nowhere she could really take that sentence that would adequately describe what she wanted to say.

It seemed to be enough for Harry, though. "I agree." He kissed the top of her head and then promptly ruined the sweet gesture by yawning widely. "Oh gosh, sorry."

"I'll take it as a compliment."

He chuckled. "Do."

She kissed his shoulder and felt her eyelids starting to droop. "I hope you don't mind me staying," she mumbled, "because I'm not entirely sure I'd be able to move much right now."

"I'll take that as a compliment, too."

Ruth smiled. "Do."

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading! Once again, I hate my own ending, but oh well…<strong>

**Anyway, now seems like quite a good time of year to start thinking about what implausible and/or fluffy scenarios can be wrangled into mad-but-fun Christmas fics, so, uh… mulled wine, anyone (for inspiration purposes, obv)? ;) **


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